Conventional telecommunications switching systems employ centralized switching facilities which result in undesirable lengthy switching paths. Therefore, it is desirable to implement distributed telecommunications switching systems which do not require centralized switching facilities. However, elaborate management systems normally are required in order to provide users and operators with the ability to control, configure and monitor the various switches and other components which make up a typical distributed telecommunications switching system. For example, an operator or user must be able to control, configure and monitor a distributed switching system's individual application cards, as well as the communication busses which interconnect those application cards.
Conventional distributed telecommunications switching systems use dedicated Operational Support Systems ("OSSs") and relatively complex and cryptic command-driven user interface systems in order to provide users with the ability to control, configure and monitor distributed switching systems. These dedicated OSSs are cumbersome to develop, maintain, upgrade and expand upon. Additionally, the command-driven user interfaces are relatively cryptic, cumbersome, non-intuitive and difficult for users to learn and use.
In addition, conventional distributed telecommunications switching systems can be accessed by users only from dedicated terminals located at specific locations which are selected by the proprietor of the switching systems. Thus, conventional telecommunications switching systems require that a user be at the dedicated terminal in order to control, configure or monitor the switching systems. Such limited access is inflexible in that it prevents users from accessing distributed switching systems from any location desired. Therefore, a need has arisen for a system which will permit users to access telecommunications switching systems from any desired location, so that users can control, configure and monitor the switching systems from those locations.